{8} Truths And Favours

When she awoke, and saw the hospital lights, masked faces looking forward at her with the lights blocking her from seeing the emotion in their eyes... Ushio couldn't think. Her body reacted alone, voice box letting out a loud scream and torso jerking forward. She scared the dickens out of the doctors, and made the police on guard and Nagisa rush in. Some tried to hold her down while someone else tried to calm her down with anesthesia or something, but the giant needle just made everything worse. Red began to bleed into Ushio's eyes, her hands gripping the covers so hard that her knuckles turned white and her palms glowed blue.


Nagisa was there before the needle could break skin, grabbing the nurse's hand and squeezing so tight that she forced her to drop it. Then grabbing the panicking girl's shoulders, she forced her to look at her.


  "Ushio! Ushio, calm down. You're alright... You're safe... Just calm down..."


The red in her eyes began to retreat as she followed Nagisa's deep breath imitations.  She looked around at the nurses and police who were looking at her with wide cautious eyes, and she dropped her head.


Nagisa began to escort the others out, telling the nurse who had the needle a small apology about her hand. She turned back around when it was just her and the girl left and sat by her bed.


  "What am I doing here?"


It came out harsh, hostile, full of anger. Nagisa waited a second or two before answering her.


  "You passed out," she replied, "In the middle of a street. Remember that?"


Ushio simply grunted.


Nagisa leaned back in her chair and crossed her legs, "When were you going to tell me about your quirk?"


  "Quirk?" Ushio blinked.


  "Quirk."


  "I don't have a quirk."


Nagisa used one hand to pull the covers off Ushio's torso, exposing her blue techno lined arms.


  "As you were explaining?" she asked, leaning back once more.


Ushio huffed, lacing her hands together.


  "I... I don't know what my quirk is."


  "You're lying."


  "I'm not."


  "Even if you don't know, do you think you can control it?"


  "I don't know." she returned behind gritted teeth.


Nagisa cocked a brow, "Do you think it's powerful? This mystery quirk?"


  "I don't know!"


Nagisa wasn't going to tire easily from asking these questions. To her, they were relevant, no matter how annoying they may have seemed to the teen.


  "Do you think they think you don't know?"


Ushio faltered, "Who's they?" she asked under a half whisper.


Nagisa brought out her phone and showed her the picture she took of one of her attackers. Ushio went silent as the ice haired lady began to talk.


  "He's one of the guys who attacked me. Said I had to give back what wasn't mine." She said calmly as she scratched her head before tucking her phone back into her pocket, "He said you have amazing power..."


She looked at Ushio, only to find her shaking, skin stark white and blue lines making her seem a little like a hologram. She leaned forward to the girl.


  "You know him... Don't you?"


To Nagisa's surprise, Ushio started crying. Not heaving sobs or loud wails. Just simple tears rolling down her cheeks and into the metal of her head gear.


Nagisa's voice softened, gently grabbing one of Ushio's hands.


  "What happened...?"


Ushio stayed quiet a bit, tears still rolling down her face before she finally talked.


"I remember... hospital lights." She said shakily, "I remember a black truck... I remember running so hard, s-so... So fast... For a what seemed like forever...


  "I remember running into sunrise... I remember running into daybreak... And I remember running into him." she bit her lip slightly before facing Nagisa, "I don't want... to remember anymore..."


Nagisa's brow furrowed slightly as Ushio scanned her eyes.


  "Not today..."


And with those finally words, Ushio went silent, shut like a steel strap. Nagisa took some time to let what she said sink in, standing up and leaving the room as she did so. She walked for a bit in the empty halls before stopping.


She held up her phone, "Did you hear all that?"


Aizawa cut the call on his end of the line and looked at her, "Your point being?"


  "It sounds just like the blackmark cases. Every victim we questioned recalled being in a hospital, then a dark vehicle, then trying to escape, this case being escaping through a forest." she ticked off her fingers while facing him, leaning against the opposite wall, "Besides speaking from personal experience. We have to help her."


  "You said she was most likely smuggled into Japan, that's not your area—"


  "My area is almost every area." She reminded with an eye roll.


Aizawa nodded, "Okay, fine. That's not my area. We couldn't save those others, what makes you think that this time is any different? If you can't save her?"


  "The fact that she's still in that bed should be enough encouragement to say that we can. I intend on doing so, and you are going to help me."


Aizawa raised a brow at her then, upon seeing the glint in her eyes, widened his own and shook his head.


  "No. No..."


  "The school owes me that much and so do you." Nagisa said while folding her arms.


  "Then go talk to the school about it, but don't get me involved any further." He glared.


Nagisa smirked at him and he sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose,  "My class..."


  "...Is already involved, as their reputation precedes them." She finished triumphantly, "So technically, you're helping plenty."


The man shook his head as Nagisa pushed off the wall and continued to walk away. Before she could round the corner, he called out.


"If this turns out like last time, I pull you out myself... Sparrow."


She stopped, stared down at her shoes, closed her eyes and took a deep breath.


"Relax." She said calmly, "This will be nothing last time, Eraserhead."

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